Just Another Day in the Life of the Hardys
by sparkles321
Summary: A gang has broken into the Bayport Shopping Center, and they're holding employees hostage for no clear reason. Frank and Joe Hardy are the first ATAC agents on the scene. This is going to be the most exciting mision yet! But when their mission goes horribly wrong,will they even be able to make it out alive, much less stop the gang? Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**There's a little Bess/Joe fluff in the first chapter, don't let that deter you- I am going to keep this as true to the series as possible, and will only insert romance if needed for the plotline. Here goes! Don't forget to check out my other Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys fanfic, The Mother She Never Knew!**

"Bess! Hey, wait up a minute, will ya?" Joe Hardy, mouth smeared with frosting, rushed towards Bess. The two looked quite alike, except the fact Joe was tall and muscular and Bess was short and slightly plump. Bess turned, brushed a lock of blond hair away from her face, and giggled. "Uh, Joe, there's some frosting on your face..." "Huh? Oh, yeah," he swiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, ah, it was a good party,huh? I think George really was surprised." Bess nodded. "Yeah. I got a zillion pictures of her face when we all yelled 'surprise'." "Mmhm. Well, see, Bess, I wanted to ask you if you would, that is, consider, ah-"_ Joe, think! You never get nervous when talking to_ girls,his brain screamed at him. He swallowed. "Wouldyouliketogoeattomorrow?" Bess looked confused, so, slower, he explained "Would you like to go eat with me tomorrow? Like, a date? Maybe at this little Italian place...?" He blushed suddenly. _Blushing?Pull it togather, man, _he berated himself. Nevertheless, he waited nervously for her reply. She squealed. "Ooh, Joe, really? Of course!" Frank honked, and Joe gave a little finger wave. " 'Bye, Bess. I'll call ya with details!"

"Dude, did you just ask Bess out?" Frank was grinning maliciously. Joe smirked. "Ah, Frank, wouldn't you like to know?" Frank stared at him solemnly for a few minutes before announcing,"You did. That's why you're giddy." "Giddy? Who uses a word like that, anyway?" "I do, thank you very much!" Frank's phone, sitting on the car console, rang suddenly, and he jumped, causing Joe to laugh. "Frank Hardy here." He held up one finger, indicating Joe should be silent, and hit the speakerphone button. "Mr. Hardy? ATAC here. Code names, please?" Remembering the names they'd been assigned in case of an emergency and they were contacted by phone, Frank answered, "Sherlock and Watson ready to proceed." Maybe the names were cliche, but he kind of liked them. The ATAC agent continued, "Good. You have all your equipment, I trust?" "It's in the trunk. What's going on?" Joe leaned forward slightly. An emergency mission?

What the man said next shocked them both,but only for a second. "A gang broke into Bayport Shopping Center this afternoon thirty minutes ago. They had an argument with one of the employees, there was a fight, and now the gang has barricaded themselves inside. For some reason they've taken hostages. They're all waving guns, from what we can see on the store video cameras, and we believe the leader is probably mentally unstable. According to the tracking devices on your phone's, you and Joe are the closets ATAC agents to the center. Good luck, guys." He switched out of his professional tone long enough to add "Vaya con Dios, Frank, Joe." Frank smiled. Vaya con Dios meant "God be with you",or "Go with God." "Okay, thanks. I bet we'll need all the help from above we can get. We'll head to the center. 'Bye. We'll contact headquarters occasionally to report in." "Great."

_Click!_ The man hung up, and Frank and Joe were left staring at each other. "Woah, Frank. This is probably gonna be one of our most exciting cases!" "Joe, don't do anything stupid. This is one of our most dangerous cases, and...I don't want you getting hurt." It normally annoyed Joe when Frank, ever the older brother,began worrying about him,but,he knew what Frank was saying was true. He _did _have a tendency to rush into situations. So now, as he strapped his ATAC-isued gun to his belt, he laughed grimly.

"This is gonna be fun."


	2. Chapter 2

**Reviews make me happy!**

Frank and Joe arrived at the two-story Bayport Shopping Center quickly. It was like a flagship store of a mall, except it was freestanding. It sold dishes and clothing and home goods items, and was ran by one of Bayport's leading citizens. The second floor was much smaller than the first, with offices covering most of it, so Frank figured that would be the place to start. Joe thought otherwise. "We stroll through the front door, acting like confused and scared shoppers. If we see any injured people, we get them out. We won't act like a threat to the gang. Once we get all the innocent people out, or as many as we can, we take down the gang.

Frank's phone vibrated and he scanned it quickly. "ATAC thinks we'd seem like average kids to the gang, enabling us to catch them off guard. But if we need reinforcements, there is an adult ATAC leader that is trained for stuff like this. We're supposed to let them know if we'll need help." "Nah. Not now, anyways, but it's good to know we have backup." "I agree. Let's get out of the car slowly, 'cause they may be watching on store cameras." They strolled up to the doors. Joe let his eyes go wide and he threw his palms out elaborately for the benefit of the gang, who they were sure had access to the control room and were watching the video cameras for interference."Why would those doors be locked? They're always open at ten in the morning!" Out of the corner of his mouth he muttered,"They aren't just locked, they're barricaded." Frank nodded almost imperceptibly and led the way to a side door.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a video camera aimed at the door. "I figured as much," he sighed. Joe looked hopeful. "The roof?" Frank was incredulous. "Even if there is a door up there, how are we going to get up there ourselves?" Joe grinned at him and gestured towards the trunk full of ATAC gear. "Just like rock climbing," he explained, already pulling bungee cords and harnesses out.

Twenty minutes later, they were both on the roof, staring at a locked maintenance door. "Well, Joe, I guess that was a good idea." Joe smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Frank. But, uh, I left the duffel bag with with the lockpicks and the little laser thingys (**have you noticed that, even in the books, they never know what to call their ATAC stuff?)** down there. We're going to have to climb back down." Frank smiled. "You're not the only one with good ideas,Joe." He emptied his pockets, which contained the lockpicks, the laser things, and several other useful ATAC tools. Joe grinned. "I love you!" Frank rolled his eyes, but he headed for the door, twisting the lock pick around the stubborn lock. The rusty door creaked and slowly swung open.

Beyond the door was a set of stairs covered in dust. They were very narrow and probably used only once or twice a year by roof maintenance people. The steps continue downwards till they came to a door. Joe began to turn the knob but Frank stoped him. "Are you crazy? Let's listen first." Pressing their ear to the door they listened. The steady rhythm of footsteps could be heard. And they were coming towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, readers. I'd really appreciate ANY reviews, even if they are flames. I just want to know if you guys like or don't like this. Many thanks to my lovely Hibernia12 for the support.**

Joe's hand instinctively flew to the gun on his hip, but Frank stopped him. " A shot woudl alert the gang to where we are. Maybe we should use the guns as a last resort, and focus on scoping the area out before we do anything else." Joe nodded. His eyes darted around the hall. It was a short hall, leading from the stairs that led to the roof to a door that led into the store, and there was no place to hide. Both Hardys crouched in the semi darkness, near the top of the stairs, hoping that it would hide them from the gang if they entered.

The door swung open, and the silhouette of a wiry man, outlined in the light from the store, stood there, peering curiously in. "Bill! Get over here!" another voice called. Bill trotted obediently off. Both boys breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't been noticed! "We need to keep moving. Let's see if we can find that security room. We might can turn the cameras off or something, so they can't monitor our process." Leaving the offices, they found a door marked 'Security.' Frank cautiously opened it. A security guard was slumped over the control panel, a thin line of blood trickling down his jaw. Frank quickly shut the door. Joe knocked. "Hey, let me in!" "No, Joe, you don't want to come in here." "Oh. Uh, okay. Do whatever you need to do, Frank." Scanning the video camera screens, Frank noticed a group of people in one of the rooms used for storage. It was probably the gang. Not seeing anything amiss on the other screens, he flicked off the power switch and turned back around. Grimacing, he moved the security guard's limp hand away from the control panel, and he studied the levers on it. Maybe he could pull the fire alarm, and... "Frank! Stay in there, buddy! Don't come out!" Joe's panicked voice echoed into the room, followed by a loud thud and voices.

Frank was tempted to open the door, but ATAC had established a rule especially for situations like this. If on told the other to stay put, he stayed. It was an important rule, for you never knew just what could happen. But this was Joe, his brother, his little brother. Sudden cursing erupted from outside, and muffled voices rose in a crescendo. "What do we do with the blond kid?" "Why's he here?" How'd he even get here, anyway?" Another voice, louder and yet calmer than the rest, spoke. "We kill him." That was it. Frank jerked the knob violently, desperate to get out. The door was locked. Joe, anticipating what would would happen, had locked Frank inside in a desperate attempt to save him.

Frank threw his shoulder against the door, once, twice, three times. One of the men outside the door chuckled. "You got a friend in there? We'll deal with him after we take care of you, Blondie. But first, we have a few questions for you. Let's move out of your friend's hearing, shall we?" Joe mumbled something that was unintelligible to Frank, but Frank knew it was probably a snarky reply after hearing the sound of a slap. Thoughts coursed through him. Joe had saved Frank so he could save Joe in return. It was a confusing little phrase, but Frank repeated in his brain as he looked around frantically.

He had to get out of here!

**Okay, so I need to know, should I continue this or not? I'm not updating till I get 10 reviews, y'all!**


	4. Chapter 4

Two teenage guys grabbed Joe's arms and forced him into a room. He hopped to one side, gave a swift kick, and... nothing. The guys only held on tighter. Darn. How _did_ Indiana Jones do it? Well, he would wait and find out as much as he could about the gang before escaping. Any information that ATAC could use would be useful. Joe began noting his surroundings. Six or seven guys, about Frank's age or a little older, stood off two one side, watching the man named Bill and a another guy, both in their forties, sort through bulging sacks filled with stolen items. One of the boys approached Joe. Gesturing to the group, he asked, "What do you know about us?!" Joe mashed his lips shut. He'd learned the hard way to keep quiet in situations like this. The guy who'd asked him slapped his cheek, leaving a red mark. "Answer me!" Joe, still held by the two boys, turned his head away, and the guy thankfully dropped the subject.

It was quite obvious that the younger gang members were afraid of their older leaders. They'd probably been drawn into the gang with big words and fancy talk, only to find themselves trapped doing their leaders' dirty work. Through listening to snippets of conversation, Joe learned that the gang leaders were angry at the store manager because he informed the police of the gang's involvement in a recent robbery. When they arrived to settle their score with him, they'd noticed all the valuable items, and had a crazy idea. Heading home, they carefully planned everything out, robbed the store, tied up the employees they didn't 'deal with', and... a mysterious, blond, armed teen interfered with their plans. Joe inwardly groaned. He was doing a great job gathering info, if only he could do as good a job staying alive. The gang was mad at him, and they were worried he knew too much. Hoo, boy. The things he did for ATAC...

Frank, meanwhile, was going nearly crazy with worry worry about Joe. "Okay, Hardy, let's assess the situation," he told himself, "You're locked in a room with a dead guy, there's a massive robbery taking place,and your brother is at the hands of a ruthless gang." Pounding his fist into his palm, he wondered what else could possibly go wrong. Aloud, he said,"Great. What's next?"

Soon, he was really going to regret having asked that question, for the answer was far worse than he could've ever imagined.


	5. Chapter 5

Frank swallowed. This whole mess was crazy. It was supposed to be a quick, easy mission, scoping the area out for the adult agents and leaving._ Dream on, Hardy!_ Well, that was not happening. He looked at the ceiling. Climbing on the desk, he shoved a ceiling tile out of the way. Bracing both feet against the wall, he climbed into the hole and dropped out on the other side of the door. Thank God, he was free. Now to rescue Joe and the hostage employees. He stopped and listened. Sobbing was coming from a nearby room.

He turned into the dressing room, and discovered a woman and a man, both wearing employee uniforms, bound and gagged. He knelt and sliced through the ropes binding them with his knife. Laying a finger to his lips, he led them out of the hall and slowly towards the front enterance. The man he'd untied helped Frank move the barricade- desks, clothes racks, a cart- from the door. "Go outside and stay away from the building, okay? Don't come back in here!" They nodded numbly, the woman still wailing for no clear reason._ Does she just WANT to alert the gang? I wish she'd shut up! Ah, well, it's been stressful for her, I suppose. I'd better be nice. _Remorseful, Frank asked gently, "Are you hurt?" "No, it's just so scary!" Rolling his eyes, Frank moved on in the direction he thought Joe might be.

Hearing footsteps, he flattened himself against a nearby walk and waited as the gang passed by, carrying bulging sacks. The man he guessed was the leader eyed the barricade suspiciously. "One of those kids moved this. Let's get the stuff loaded and destroy the evidence." Frank watched them leave, noting that a few members always stayed inside, watching the doorways. A thought struck his suddenly. Destroy the evidence? Wasn't this whole store evidence? Uh oh. That did not sound good.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. Spotting Joe , he rushed into the office. "Joe! Man, you scared me! Let me untie you, and-" Joe jerked his head violently to one side. "Run!" "Run...? Oh...snap." The gang leader, holding a gun, gestured to a chair like the one Joe was tied to. Frank, knowing resistance was futile,sat. The man quickly tied him. He took Frank's phone and placed it next to Joe's on a table just out of reach. Picking up a gas can, he chuckled. "Goodbye! Sorry to go, but I've gotta run!" He set off, pouring gasoline down the hall.

Joe looked at Frank. "This is unbelievable! It's like some awful action movie that moves way too fast. Everything happened at once, you know?" Without pausing for an answer, he continued,"You don't think he's serious about the gas, do you?" Frank sighed. He didn't want to alarm Joe, but..."Joe, he already killed several people. I don't think he's gonna have a problem now. I think he's probably mentally unstable, and..." He tugged! at the rope, anxiously listening for a sound he didn't want to hear but he knew was coming. BOOM! There was an explosion, an odd whooshing sound, and Frank could feel heat on his face. He turned to Joe. "There's your answer."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author note: This a revised, much more detailed chapter turned one shot from my story Just Another Day in the Life of the Hardys. Check it out! You might also like my other fanfics, Keeping Secrets and The Mother She Never Knew. Please, please review, even if it's just a flame! I worked really hard on this.**

The dark-haired man chuckled, a humorless sound. He grabbed Joe's arm and pulled him to him. "You are a fool, a fool! Did you _really _think you could stop us? " Frank couldn't hear what Joe mumbled in reply, but he was pretty sure it was a sarcastic comment, judging from the slap Joe earned himself. Frank was watching from the doorway, half-hidden in the shadows. The gang had caught Joe and brought him to the leader, but Frank had evaded them. He was sure they'd neglected to tell their boss he was here. He ran his hand through his hair. This whole plot was crazy. A gang had broken into Bayport Shopping Center because of an argument with an employee, taken people hostage and stole whatever they could find. ATAC had sent the Hardys in to stop them, and it wasn't going so well. Joe was tied to a chair, Frank was powerless to help, and the criminals were having a field day. _"Great," _he said to himself. _"Just great. Could things get any worse?"_ Yes. Yes, they could.

The man turned that instant, and Frank instinctively backed away, into... another gang member. _Darn it. _Before he knew it, both Hardys were tied up in a pair of metal folding chairs. The leader of the gang had given them a taunting wave and pulled out a gas can. Frank was surprised, but only for a second. A wave of nausea flooded over him as he realized what this quite obviously insane man intended to do. He looked at the ropes that bound him and breathed in sharply. The man backed out of the room, still pouring gasoline. Far down the hall Frank heard the faint 'woosh' of something being ignited, and a door slamming shut. It suddenly felt uncomfortably warm, and a sickening, crackling sound of burning wood came from the hall.

Joe's eyes were wide wide with sudden realization. "Frank, you don't think..." He interrupted himself. "What am I saying? Let's get out of here!" Frank smiled tersely. "My thoughts exactly." He began shifting so the folding chair he was tied to rested against the wall, in a corner. He had an idea. It wasn't the smartest plan, but he was desperate. He flung the confining chair and himself into the wall repeatedly. Joe stared at him. "Uh, Frank, hitting the chair isn't gonna save us..." Frank looked up, his face sweaty and red. "I - know - that - Joe," he panted. "Just do the same thing to your chair, okay?" Joe was about to question Frank's sanity when he realized Frank had manage to whack the metal chair out of shape, causing the ropes to slacken and enabling him to wiggle free. "O, ye of little faith!" Frank was teasing Joe, but he knew there was a sense of urgency. He didn't want to scare his brother, but... Joe spoke up. "Yeah, sure. Just help me out of these ropes!" The heat was getting closer as Frank untied Joe. "Come on, man!" Rushing out of the room, they could see a wall of flames creeping closer. "Run the other way! Look for a window, an exit door, something!" Frank yelled.

With the flames behind them as an incentive, the boys raced towards a door clearly marked 'Exit'. Frank tried to open it. "It's stuck." "What do you mean, 'it's stuck'? It can't be!" Joe was nearly frantic. Frank pulled Joe closer to him . "Joe. Look at me. It's stuck." Joe looked at Frank. His face was deadly serious. "But..." Joe looked down the hall. Flames were now consuming it as well. He gasped. "We're trapped!" "I know." How could Frank be so unnervingly calm? It was starting to get REALLY hot, and thick, choking smoke flowed into the hall.

"Joe! Cover your nose and mouth, and stay low to the ground. Try not to inhale too much, okay ?" Joe would've argued that he already knew what to do, but he could see it wasn't time for that. But how where they gonna get out of here? Joe looked at his brother. Frank didn't seem inclined for a last ditch escape effort, either. He grabbed Frank's arm, forcing him to look him in the eyes.

"That's it? We give up?" As he watched, Frank slumped down beside the door. "No. But, genius, how are we going to get out of here?" "Well," Joe spun around, looking wildly in every direction. "Frank," he exclaimed suddenly, eyes round in the dancing light sent by the fire. "It's getting closer!" Numbly, Frank nodded. He laid his hand on Joe's arm, swallowing hard. His dark blue eyes met Joe's. "Hey, buddy. This is really hard for me to say and everything, but -" he paused, and looked upward, as if pleading for help. "I- I don't think we're getting out of here."

**Well? What do you think? If you want to know what happens next, check out Just Another Day in the Life of The Hardys! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey there! Did you read my one-shot, ****_Faith and Fire? It is a revised version of the previous chapter. I think you are going to love it... I worked super hard on it. But, it has no reviews yet. That makes me sad. :( Thanks to hollyboo2001 for reading it and reviewing this as well! Shoutout to Hibernia12, an amazing, faithful reviewer. Well, I've kept you in suspense long enough. Here is the long awaited chapter 7!_**

Joe blanched. His face was ashen-gray, but he said nothing. The smoke hung thick and heavy over them, and the flames were even closer. He buried his face in his hands. Frank turned away from him then, but Joe abruptly sat up and caught his arm. "Frank! They said there were other people-hostages! Remember?" Frank cursed suddenly. Then he straightened, almost smiled, and turned towards towards the wall of flames. Before Joe could ask if he was insane, he explained, "I found some people in a room over here. Hopefully they were the only ones hostage. Anyways, there's a door that leads outside! We can get out!"

The boys rushed to the room, stopping when they realized how close it was to the flames. Nevertheless, they pressed forward. Thankfully, the door opened easily, and they collapsed outside, to be met by a scene of pandemonium: a group of police officers and firefighters, backs turned to them and looking at the front door. Several handcuffed gang memebers were being questioned. A voice was loudly exclaiming,"You've got to get them out! They're with ATAC. I know they're in there, chief. They're my sons, and if you don't let me in..." Joe looked at Frank. "DAD!" "Dad! We're over here! We're okay! Dad!" Fenton Hardy turned. Sprawled on the ground outside a side door were his two sons. Joe had some nasty bruises on his cheek, and Frank's arm was singed lightly. They were filthy, and coughing from the smoke. Joe's hair was messy - wait, it always was like that- and they both looked exhausted. But they were his sons, and they were alright.

He sprinted towards them. "Frank! Joe!" He hugged them tightly. "Are you alright? Frank, you should get that arm checked. Joe are you okay? " Fenton shook his head, overcome with emotion for a second. When he could speak, he added, "I was so worried. We had some pretty tense moments there."

Joe smirked. "Ah, Dad, it wasn't that bad. It was just another day in the life of Joe and Frank Hardy!"

**Well, it's finished. I intend to revise parts of it sometime in the future. What do y'all think? Please review! It means the world to me, and I really appreciate it!**


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